Bleach: Twisted Chains
by Lexi the Raven
Summary: Reincarnated souls weren't supposed to remember anything from their previous lives, but neither were they supposed to look exactly like they did in their previous life, nor wield the same Zanpakuto. Rukia sighed, 'Things just got a lot harder…': Ichigo's never been normal, but how far does that fact extend?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: ...I know, i hate myself for throwing this out here as well, but it hit me in the face. There is a reason I don't like plot bunnies. They hurt when someone throws one in your face. But anyway, enjoy people. Tell me what you think. And I apologize in advance for any confusing parts.

* * *

_Green-blue eyes grew foggy as the black haired man took his last breaths. A short raven-haired girl cried as the rain poured down over the two and her blade pierced his chest. He smiled and spoke his last words to her as blood colored his lips, "Don' die alone 'Kay, jus' don' die 'lone."_

_A tall white-haired man stood by, fist clenched as he tried to hold in his own sadness. The green eyes stared up at the girl's and the man grinned one last time before his chest rattled and grew still, the last flecks of life fading from his eyes. The girl sobbed and grabbed the dead man in a hug, crying out his name repeatedly. "KAIEN!"_

* * *

"Kurosaki! Pay attention." The teacher at the front of the classroom snapped at the orange haired boy near the back. She could not really do anything, since the boy in question never failed a single test or homework assignment. Even if he phased out constantly in class, he always knew what was going on. Misato Ochi would not call him a prodigy, but he was pretty damn close.

Ichigo Kurosaki blinked away the unfamiliar scene and focused his attention back on Misato-sensei. Unknown to him his warm hazel eyes flashed green-blue and back again. In addition, unknown to him, was the fact that he was carrying two different souls, both of which were slowly combining, allowing him access to the older soul's memories. Now all that was needed was a catalyst to complete the merging. Fortunately, or unfortunately, that catalyst was arriving that very day.

* * *

Ichigo stood on the sidewalk facing down a group of skaters. One skater yelled at him, "Nobody jumps one of my boys for no reason and lives to tell about it." The other two skaters were on the ground checking on the downed boy. Ichigo ran a hand through his hair and shrugged, letting out a sigh. The skater glared at him, "That's all you got to say!?" After shouting that he lunged at Ichigo, only to be taken down by a foot to the face.

"Little Yama's down, we gotta help him!" One of the others said, watching Ichigo beat 'little Yama'. Another guy looked at him, "Are you crazy, no way am I taking on the psycho." This was said as Ichigo beat the leader's head into the ground.

He turned his eyes toward the remainder of the group and scowled, "Now listen up you scum. Do you see that?" He pointed behind him, at a small vase of flowers knocked over on the ground, "First question; what do you think that is? You the one in the middle, answer!"

The person in the middle quivered, "What y-you talking to me? I guess someone left those flowers for some kid that got killed here." As soon as he answered, Ichigo kicked him in the chin.

"Correct!" He straightened up and continued glaring at the last two, "Now the next question; that vase over there, why is it lying on its side?" The last two shook in fear.

"I guess one of us knocked it over when we were skateboarding through here. We did-" Ichigo did not let them finished as he kicked them both away quickly.

"You guys catch on fast. Now go and apologize or the next time the flowers will be for you!" His glare deepened as he ordered this. The skaters screamed in fear, yelling their apologies as they ran away in fright.

Once they were gone, Ichigo sighed, "There, that outta keep those punks from showing their ugly faces around here." He turned back to the post, "Sorry about all that, I'll bring you by some new flowers tomorrow." The almost see-through girl smiled up at him.

"Thank you for coming to my defense. I think now I'll finally be able to rest in peace." She said, hands on the pole next to her, a small chain coming from her chest.

"Don't mention it. It's the least I could do." He smiled slightly and put his hand on the girl's head, "After all, you deserve to rest in peace." He let go and started to walk away.

* * *

**_My name is Ichigo Kurosaki. I'm 15 years old, so I'm a high-school student. My family runs a medical clinic in town. Maybe it's because we're entrusted with the lives of the living, I'm not sure, but for as long as I can remember, I've been able to see the souls of the dearly departed._**

* * *

Ichigo opened the door to his house and called out, "I'm home." Unfortunately, he immediately fell victim to a kick in the face. By his dad.

"You let your guard down! Always stay alert when you enter a room and you're late for dinner again!" Isshin Kurosaki said, hands on his hips as he glared down at Ichigo.

Ichigo growled and spun around, "Come on! Is that any way to welcome your own son after he just risked his life to help a spirit find peace?"

"Oh, so it's the ghost's fault now. I suppose it was ghosts that left your room a mess. When are you going to show some discipline! Just because you see ghosts and I don't doesn't make you a guest in this house hold!" They started exchanging punches and kicks. Most of them being blocked by the opponent.

Ichigo's sisters sat at the table, Karin ignoring them and eating, and Yuzu looking at them worriedly, "Hey, stop the fighting you to and come eat your dinner."

Karin looked at her twin and sighed, "Let them fight. More rice for me." She held out her empty rice bowl for emphasis.

Yuzu frowned at the black-haired girl, "That's not very nice Karin." Karin just shrugged as Ichigo punched Isshin away, causing the man to roll away and hit a wall.

"I gotta tell you dad, for a totally healthy high-school kid, a 7'oclock curfew is not cool!" He yelled, pointing a finger at the fallen man. He was so busy focusing on his idiotic father to notice the spirit appearing behind him.

At least until Karin said, "Ichigo, speaking of uncool, you have a new one." She stated this with her eyes closed as she continued eating her rice.

Ichigo blinked and looked over his shoulder at the middle-aged spirit, "Hey, how long have you been there!? Take a hike would you! Damn pest!" He growled, swatting at the ghost, who kept dodging. Ichigo growled in frustration at it.

Karin sighed and set done her bowl, "I'm done." She turned to watch her brother, "Poor Ichigo, dad or ghosts, it's always something."

Yuzu smiled at her, "I think he's kind of lucky to be able to see ghosts! I sort of sense their presence sometimes, but that's about it." She tilted her head.

Karin rolled her eyes and looked back at her twin, "I don't see what the big deal is. I don't even believe in them."

Yuzu gasped, "Karin, I don't know how you can say that! I thought you had the power to see spirits too?"

Karin gave her a blank look, "I'm in permanent denial. Seeing them doesn't make me believe in them." She deadpanned, causing the spirit to shiver from the cold comment.

"That's really cold." the spirit said, causing Ichigo to sigh, "Like my dinner." Isshin took the chance to knock Ichigo's feet from under him.

"You dropped your guard again!" Ichigo cried out in shock, falling to the floor and grunted when Isshin jumped him, locking an arm around his head. Ichigo quickly threw him off and punched him in the face as Isshin's own fist hit him in the chin. "Gotcha." Isshin groaned, falling to the floor, "No charge for the lesson."

Ichigo scowled and wiped the pain away, "Never mind dinner. I'm going to my room." He said, turning and walking away.

Yuzu frowned, "Wait Ichigo-" She started, only to be interrupted by Karin looking at their father, "Wow you sure have a way with kids, don't you?" She stated flatly.

Isshin jumped off the floor crying out a dramatic, "Me?! What did I do?"

* * *

Ichigo sighed as he threw his bag on his bed, listening to his family talk about him below. "_Ichigo's been having a hard time lately. He's been seeing more and more spirits. That and the strange dreams he's been having._" Karin stated below.

"_What? Why would he being talking about things like this with you to instead of coming to his dear old dad? That doesn't make any sense!_" Isshin exclaimed.

"_Sure it does,_" Karin started, "_For one thing you're over 40 and for another, emotionally, you're still at a preschool level. Just admit it Dad._" Ichigo blinked as his dad started exclaimed to the picture of their mom.

He sighed and rolled his eyes, slipping into a quiet sleep.

* * *

The next morning Ichigo woke up and got dressed before his father could try to and attack him. He ran a hand through his hair and looked at himself in the mirror, slightly confused. Was that a streak of blue in his eyes? As soon as he looked closer, the supposed color disappeared, leaving the warm amber that they normally were. He shrugged and walked out, slinging his backpack over his shoulder and heading downstairs.

As he approached the kitchen, he heard a report coming from the television, "_According to local residents, at about 7:30 AM, the ground shook with a loud crash and the walls of many building exploded._" The report continued as he walked into the room with a greeting.

"Good morning Ichigo!" Yuzu said brightly, smiling up at him. He gave her a small smile back, shocking her slightly.

"Morning… Where's Dad?" He asked, slightly confused about not being attacked by their crazy father as soon as he stepped in the room.

Karin took a sip of her tea, "At a meeting. He said he'll be late tonight too." Ichigo took a piece of toast out of the toaster and bit into it.

"I see…" He then turned his attention to the report that was still playing on the TV, "_Investigators and explosives experts are currently working to discover the cause of the explosion_." Yuzu walked up behind her brother, who had the slice of bread hanging from his mouth, "Did something bad happen?" She asked from behind him.

Ichigo frowned and watched the footage thinking, '_That's near here…_' He shook it off and waved goodbye to his sisters before leaving and starting towards the high school. He frowned again when he passed by the taped off alley. He glanced at it as he paid for the new vase and flowers, before placing the vase in his bag and continuing towards the corner the girl's ghost resided at.

When he arrived something felt off, the girl was nowhere to be seen, "Hello?" He called, looking around, before standing straight in shock as he heard a scream followed by a loud roar. He jolted into action, running down the street with a determined look on his face.

Before he arrived, a loud crash resounded and the girl screamed in terror again. Ichigo sprinted towards the explosion, ignoring the people rushing in the opposite direction and heading straight into the dust that was kicked up. He paused in shock as another roar was heard and the dust cleared enough for him to see a gigantic masked monster. "What the hell is that?" He muttered eyes wide. He clenched his eyes in pain as an unfamiliar memory ran through his mind.

'_Hollows are spirits that have fallen into despair and it is our job to purify the soul of the Hollows and send them on._' He couldn't place a name with the voice, but at least now, he knew what the hell was standing in front of him. He was only given a second to ponder over that thought when the girl ran out of the dust, "Help me!"

Ichigo shook the fuzzy thoughts, grabbed the girl, and threw her on his back, carrying her so they could move faster, "Hold on tight." He called back to her, looking over his shoulder at the Hollow that was following closely.

"What is that thing!?" She asked, holding Ichigo's neck tightly. Ichigo sparred her a glance.

"I think it's called a Hollow. They devour spirits and the souls of humans with high spiritual power." He said, rushing away from said Hollow. Ichigo tripped and stumbled, one knee hitting the ground. The spirit on the other hand fell off his back. He leapt to his feet and started to help the girl up, only for the Hollow to appear right in front of them.

Suddenly a black butterfly flickered across Ichigo's line of sight, _Hell Butterfly_, a memory whispered in his ear.

* * *

Rukia Kuchiki ran after the orange haired boy as he rushed off with the spirit on his back. She scoffed, "He's only drawing the Hollow's attention. I need to step in." She frowned and leapt at the Hollow, sword drawn. She fell in front of it and sliced its mask horizontally, injuring it but not killing it. She flipped back and landed in front of the boy and girl, readying her blade and leaping again, this time attacking with a vertical slice. She grunted as her sword passed through its mask and purified the Hollow.

She landed and cleaning replaced her sword in its sheathe, hearing the boy let out a breath of amazement, "Whoa…" She blinked slightly in shock and turned to peer out of the corner of her eye, only to quickly look away and hurry off, ignoring the boy's exclamation of wait. She disappeared around the corner and leapt on top of the building, her heart beating in shock.

She had initially turned around to look at the boy because his voice was familiar, but when she saw his face, it caused many memories to resurface. The boy's face was an exact copy of her former lieutenant's. She blinked back tears, "Kaien…" She whispered.

* * *

Ichigo watched in shock as the short girl left, feeling an emotion he couldn't explain move at the bottom of his soul. The girl had looked familiar, but he couldn't place it. His mind was whirring with questions as he continued through the day, not knowing that too being's in his soul were speaking to one another.

*Ichigo's Soul-Space*

"**_It's happening faster than presumed…_**" A female voice stated, coming from a silver-haired woman with a blue and white assemble stated, her blue eyes filled with worry.

"**So it would seem.**" The second voice was male and came from a man standing on a pole that was jutting out of the building the stood on. As the two watched, the world around them changed. Some of the tall building disappeared and left trees, rivers and ponds in their wake.

They both sighed tiredly and continued to help the merge continue without it happening all at once

*Back outside*(**)

* * *

Ichigo sighed as he laid back on his bed. His mind was filled with thoughts about the girl he had seen. "_Who was she? I can't make any sense, but I __**know**__ her from somewhere. What happened out there today?_" His thoughts were interrupted by a butterfly, a Hell Butterfly, his mind supplied, flew through his window. He sat up quickly as the same girl that had been on his mind all day walked through his wall and stood on his desk. "What the hell are you doing here?" He asked, not noticing her jaw clench.

She ignored him and grabbed her sword, causing his eyes to widen in shock, "Why are you grabbing you sword? You aren't going to slice me up are you?" He asked accusingly, a little pissed that she was ignoring him. She just stepped off the desk and landed on the floor.

'_It's getting closer…_' She thought, looking around, "I feel it…" She muttered.

Ichigo growled, having enough of being ignored. He got off his bed and kicked the girl lightly in her back, causing her to fly forward, "Who are you and why are you here?" He questioned, arms crossed, "If you think that you're a burglar, then you're not a very good one. And the first sign of insanity is talking to yourself, so just don't. It's weird." He said, watching her turn back towards him with a shocked look.

"You kicked me… but I can't be seen by ordinary humans," _Not that you're ordinary_, "Are you saying you can see me?" She stuttered, of course she had assumed that he could see her earlier, but it had left her mind, her eyes widened when the boy smirked slightly.

"Well considering that was my foot that I _kicked_ you with, then you tell me." Ichigo dropped the smirk and frowned when she popped off the ground and looked at him closely.

"You're the boy I saw in town earlier." She said, looking closely at him. She assessed her earlier glance and almost winced. The boy's face was an exact replica of Kaien's. All except his hair and eyes. However, looking closer she noticed the small amount of blue-green swimming at the bottom of the amber eyes.

Ichigo scoffed, "Nothing get's by you does it?" Sarcasm dripped off his voice, causing the girl to flinch lightly.

She recovered by moving his face with her hand, "How very strange, you look normal, " _other than having a dead man's face…_"But you must be defective in some way…" She inwardly smirked, knowing exactly how her former superior would react and hoping that this boy wouldn't.

Ichigo couldn't help smirking down at the shorter girl and stating, "I'm only defective when I want to be." Then his eyes widened and he pushed the girl's hand off his face. "I'll show you defective, "He tried to kick her again but she quickly jumped on his attacking leg and over his head, pushing down lightly on his head and sending him sprawling on the floor. He sat back up and glared at her, "Who are you?"

Inside Rukia was in slight shock, but on the outside, she kept her calm façade, "You want to know? Then I'll tell you. I'm a Soul Reaper." She stated, looking down at him.

* * *

Outside the spirit of the girl that Ichigo saved earlier was running for her life from another Hollow. Tears streamed down her face as she hid behind a pillar, breathing heavily, "Oh no not again." She cried, staring at the warped space as it hit an electric wire, causing it to come into focus. The girl gasped and started running again.

* * *

Ichigo frowned, his eyes closed in concentration as he digested the words the so-called Soul Reaper was telling him, "Alright, so you're something called a Soul Reaper," When she nodded he continued, "And you're telling me that you've been sent here on a mission by something called the Soul Society," She nodded again and he opened one eye, "To deal with Hollows like the one you defeated in the street today, which was chasing after that girl's soul." She nodded again and he frowned, and instead of yelling at her in disbelief as he wanted to he nodded, "Sounds like the truth. But can you show me some more proof of that fact?"

Rukia paused in what she was about to say, surprised that he excepted it instead of laughing in her face. She had to review what she had been about to say in order to get it right, "Why would you need proof? If you can see spirits and Hollows, then why would you need proof of the existence of Soul Reapers?" She asked.

"Well, I've never seen or heard of Soul reapers before and frankly, I would need some proof before fully believing you." HE said with a shrug.

Rukia frowned, "Well you see me right? Aren't I enough proof for you?" She asked, pointing at herself and standing in front of him.

Ichigo nodded and closed his eyes, unknowingly crossing his legs as he stood and crossing his arms, causing Rukia to pale slightly, "That's true, and IO would agree that you're not human. However, at the moment I'm tired and want to sleep, so go be a Soul Reaper somewhere else, 'Kay short-stuff?" HE put a hand on her head and put on a blank face.

Rukia stood stock still in shock, before gritting her teeth and reacting, "'short stuff' am I? Fine, Bakudo #1: Sai!" She stated, pointing at his chest and jerking her arm to the right, causing Ichigo to fall to the floor with his hands behind his back, frozen.

"I can't move, what did you do to me?" He demanded, trying to fight the freezing effect.

Rukia smirked, "Paralysis. I used what's called a Kido on you. It a high-level incantation only we soul reapers can cast. It's useless to struggle against it; you're just wasting your energy. I may appear young and short to you but I've lived nearly ten of your lifetimes. I would punish you on the spot if it weren't against my orders, so you, brat, be grateful." _Not to mention I don't think I would be able to hurt someone who looked so much like Kaien, but he doesn't need to know that._

Ichigo glared up at her, growling, "It wasn't meant to be offensive." He muttered, struggling against the paralysis.

"And so!" She rather enjoyed the panicked look on his face when she drew her sword and performed a Konso on the spirit next to him. He looked up from cringing when she pressed the hilt of her sword on the ghost's forehead.

"It's the ghost from yesterday!" He exclaimed as the ghost trembled in fear, saying, "Please don't. I don't want to be sent to the underworld." Ichigo's eyes widened in shock as the girl's previously serious face softened.

"You needn't worry, because you are bound for a better place called the Soul Society. There your soul will be at peace." Rukia removed the end from the ghost's head and watched as he slowly disappeared, leaving a Hell Butterfly in his place.

Ichigo reeled back in shock, "Where'd he go? What did you do to him?" He asked, ignoring the fragment of memory whispering in his head. _Konso_.

"I sent his spirit to the Soul Society. It's one of the main responsibilities of a Soul Reaper. Humans, such as yourself sometimes call it passing on." She looked down at him as he looked up at her, "Now I'll explain to you why I'm here, and I'll use small words so that you can understand."

"You could just use big words though, either way I would understand it. I'm not an idiot you know." Ichigo muttered underneath his breath as she started explaining.

"There are two types of spirits in the world," She started, drawing on her sketchbook, "The first kind are the normal spirits which we call Wholes, or Pluses, they're the ghosts you normally see. The second kind are evil spirits known as Hollows, they attack people living or dead in order to devour their souls. Any questions before I continue?" She asked, holding the sheet of paper up.

"Just one, where did you learn to draw?" Ichigo deadpanned, crying out in shock as Rukia drew a mustache on his lips, "Hey! What was that for!?" He growled, glaring up at her as she just spun her pencil in her hand.

"Let's continue with our lesson." She started, turning back to face him, "There are two main jobs for Soul Reapers. First is to lead Wholes to the Soul Society through Konso, as I just did. Second is to exorcize the Hollows wherever we find them."

Ichigo blinked, wondering how he knew about Hollows and Konso before she told him, then a thought struck him, "That Hollow with the bug body, why was he chasing after that girl this morning?" He asked, looking up at her, having already wiped the mustache off.

"That I don't know, we have fully yet to understand what motivates the Hollows to do the things they do." She said, sitting on the ground and closing her eyes.

Suddenly Ichigo raised his head, startled by the loud roar, "What was that!?" He said, only to be ignored by Rukia who continued talking.

"One thing we do know is that there is still a second Hollow prowling somewhere nearby." She sighed, looking down.

Ichigo scowled, "Then what the hell are you waiting for, go out and kill it." He heard the roar again and narrowed his eyes, every bone and nerve in his body wanting to move.

Rukia looked away, "I would, but I can't seem to detect its location. Usually I have no trouble finding a Hollow that's close by, but here it's as if my senses are being jammed by some powerful for-" She was interrupted by Ichigo.

"What are you, deaf? There's something huge howling out there! That sound has to belong to a hollow!" He insisted, realizing that the howls were getting closer.

"Something howling, what do you mea-" Her eyes widened as a Hollow's howl nearly shook the house. She stood quickly, "Now I hear it! It's definitely a Hollow!" She said spinning and placing a hand on her sword.

"That's what I've been trying to tell you!" Suddenly there was a cry of fear and pain near Ichigo's door. His eyes widened in shock, "That's Yuzu!" He exclaimed. Rukia ran past and Ichigo shouted after her, "Hey wait! Untie me first!"

As soon as the door opened Rukia felt a rush of massive spiritual pressure, '_This spirit pressure is among the strongest that I've felt. How could I have not have sensed it earlier._' She thought, raising a hand in front of her face. She adjusted to the pressure just as Yuzu stumbled into Ichigo's doorway.

"Ichigo…" She panted in pain as she collapsed on the floor, "Ichigo, Karin's been, and Ichigo you've got to save her." Yuzu struggled to say as she collapsed into unconsciousness.

Ichigo watched in slight shock as Rukia leaned down next to Yuzu, "Hey! You gotta let me go!" He heard Karin's scream and watched helplessly as Rukia ignored him and disappeared downstairs. "Gotta break free." He muttered, forcing himself to move even while paralyzed.

Rukia charged downstairs and unsheathed her sword as soon as she spotted the Hollow with Karin in its hand. Ichigo tumbled down the stairs next to her, "Stay out of it!" She ordered him. But she was shocked at what she saw next.

Ichigo struggled to a standing position and Rukia watched in shock, "How can he be on his feet when he's under my spell?" She whispered, moving slightly when he moved in front of her, "Fool, you'll only get in the way!"

He growled lowly, "Shut up!" He glared at the Hollow and spotted Karin in its grip, "Karin!" Ichigo started to pull apart his frozen arms, grunting in concentration.

"Stop!" Rukia started, shocked that he would try to do such a thing, "Kido is too strong for a human to break. If you keep trying you'll only cause damage to your soul!" As she said this she watched in shock as her Kido was stripped away, '_What? He's breaking the Kido, that's impossible._' She watched Ichigo's spiritual energy surround him as more layers broke. Suddenly he released a powerful stream and the Kido dissolved.

Ichigo stretched his freed arms as Rukia looked at him in shock. Ichigo charged towards the Hollow, grabbing a chair on the way as Rukia called for him to stop. He swung the chair back, focusing solely on his little sister screaming for his help. Just when he was about to strike the Hollow it batted him aside easily, "K-Karin." He coughed as he sat up.

The Hollow looked down at him, "I found you!" It said, punching towards Ichigo, who ducked. Rukia took the chance to cut the hand that Karin was in, causing the Hollow to drop her and allowing Ichigo to catch her before she hit the ground.

The Hollow disappeared as Ichigo shook Karin, "Karin! Hey, wake up!" His face was contorted in fear, causing Rukia to step in.

"Don't worry she'll be alright, the Hollow left without devouring either of your sisters' souls." She said, moving to stand in front of the two of them.

"Are you sure?" Ichigo asked, looking up at her

"YEs. It's seeking a specific soul to eat, one with a much higher concentration of spiritual energy. In fact, the Hollow earlier was hungry for that soul too and not the girl's." Rukia said as realization dawned on her.

"What do you mean?" Ichigo asked, not liking where this conversation was heading.

"For some reason, most of your spirit energy was hidden deep within until just now, when you needed it to save your sister. That's why I didn't sense anything unusual about you when I arrived," _other than the obvious_, "It also explains why the Hollows haven't come after you. The spirit energy you have bottled up inside you started to pour out when you made contact with that young girl's ghost. As a result your soul became exposed. Those two Hollows today detected your soul through that girl; they were using here to track it down. Which means, the Hollows are really after you." Rukia turned to look at Ichigo, whose face was grim.

"Those things… want me?" He whispered in shock. Suddenly the Hollow came back and left out a howl.

"It's back. Get out of here!" Rukia ordered, preparing herself. Ichigo stood up, his face shadowed.

"No! Those vicious attacks on that poor girl, were because of me?" HE asked, slipping into his fighting form.

Rukia grimaced, "That's one way to look at it."

"And now both of my sisters could wind up dead and the whole thing is my fault?" His eyes were wide with anger and fear for his sisters. He remembered the looks on both of their faces a few minutes before and grit his teeth, running past Rukia and into the street in front of the beast. "You coward! Quit attacking others, it's my soul you want. Come and get it. Fight me one on one you ugly bastard!" He yelled eyes flashing.

The Hollow howled and used its neck to stretch towards Ichigo, causing Rukia to rush forward in fright. As it approached, images flashed through Ichigo's head and a headache spiked. The attack never came though, because Rukia stepped in and was attacked instead. She grunted in pain as she pulled herself out of the Hollows mouth and collapsed forward as it howled in pain.

"Soul Reaper!" Ichigo shouted, _Rukia!_

Rukia panted on the ground, "You are a fool! How could you possibly have thought _you_ were a match for a Hollow? Did you really think everything would be over if you gave him your soul? One soul doesn't satisfy them for long. If you don't stop interfering we're all going to end up as its food!" She spat, forcing herself into a crouched position. She crawled towards the sidewalk and leaned against a pole, "I'm to injured to fight. Do you… want to save your family?" She asked.

"Of course I do. No one else will die because of me!" He stated, "If there's a way tell me how!" She grimaced.

"It'll only be temporary, but you must become a Soul Reaper yourself!" HE looked at her in shock as she continued, "You must take my Zanpakuto and run it through the center of your being so that I may pour my powers into you. I can't guarantee you will live but if it doesn't work it won't matter."

Ichigo's face was blank as he said, "Then give me that blade, Soul Reaper." Rukia smiled up at him.

"My name is Rukia. Rukia Kuchiki." A memory flashed through his mind of the same girl in front of him introducing herself a different way, _My name is Rukia Kuchiki, reporting for duty!_

He grinned back, "And my name is Ichigo Kurosaki!" And with that he stabbed her Zanpakuto into his chest and the street erupted into a crushing spiritual pressure.

It held the Hollow frozen until suddenly its left arm was sliced off cleanly. The dust cleared and Ichigo stood there with the Soul Reaper uniform on and a humongous blade in his hand. On his back was another sword, an average katana with a rectangular cross guard with smooth rounded edges and a dark blue hilt.

"How did this happen? I meant to give him only half of my powers, but somehow he's taken nearly all of them!" She spoke aloud, looking at her hand in shock.

"This ends now!" Ichigo yelled catching her attention.

'_What kind of being is he? I've never seen a human with this much spiritual pressure, that's what was jamming my senses before! I've never heard of a human with enough strength to break a Kido on his own! And I have never seen a Soul Reaper wield such a huge Zanpakuto! And…!_' She spotted the second sword on his back as he sliced through the Hollow's leg. '_That Zanpakuto! But… how? Can it be?_' She was shocked at the outcome.

Ichigo glared at the Hollow as it fell towards him, "You will pay the price for hurting my family you Hollow scum!" He yelled, "And the price is my blade!" He sliced through the Hollow's mask and it faded from view. He sheathed the sword and turned towards Rukia.

She reeled back in shock when he crouched down in front of her. "Thanks." He said, putting a hand on her head. She looked up at him and was shocked to see his previously amber colored eyes become blue-green permanently. _Kaien!_

Ichigo's eyes fogged over and he fell to the ground asleep. Rukia looked down at him and then up at the moon, "Ukitake-taicho, what do I do now? How am I supposed to train the reincarnation of the man I was forced to kill?" She whispered, tears filling hers eyes. She then looked back at the sleeping teenager, '_Could he possibly be able to remember __**everything**__?_'

Reincarnated souls weren't supposed to remember anything from their previous lives, but neither were they supposed to look exactly like they did in their previous life, nor wield the same Zanpakuto. Rukia sighed, '_Things just got a lot harder…_'

**Ichigo Kurosaki: 15 years old**

**Hair Color: Orange**

**Eyes: (Previous-amber) Blue-green**

**Occupation: High School Student and… Soul Reaper!**

* * *

**End Note: Before you all scold me for this. I do know that reincarnated souls do not remember their past, but come on Ichigo is not normal. And I do have to say though, Ichgio won't use Nejibana before he recues Rukia, mostly because its not in my plotline. Sorry.**

**(**)- When they were talking in Ichigo's Soul SPace, he does not hear them, I just wanted to give you guys an idea on what's happening.**

**A further note would be that before Ichigo learned Rukia's name and she learned his, they didn't know each other's name. I just thought it be confusing to keep switching from one POV to another constantly. Sorry if its confusing! The next chapter should be up in about a week. Bye!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Wow sorry, so I lied about the week thing... my computer crashed, then I lost my jumpdrive, then slightly lost focus becuase of other things... I have no excuse. But I updated! **

**Thanks to all that reviewed, favorited and followed! Enjoy the newest chapter/episode.**

**Warning! Some of the lines that each character say are switched, but Ichigo is recieving random memories so he's remembering things. Just go along with it!**

**oh and a disclaimer, I don't own Bleach... just the first season (becuase my Mom thinks I'll 'grow out of it') and a Ichigo/Shiro plushie. Seriously, do you think I'd be writing this if I did own it? Well... maybe...**

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"GOOOOD MOOORNING ICHIGOOOOOOO!" The war cry was followed by a loud bang and Isshin's groaning.

Ichigo held his father's head to the ground with his fist raised, "Are you nuts? What kind of sick and twisted freak attacks his son when he's sleeping?" He asked, scowl etched onto his face.

"You are getting good! I guess there's nothing left for me to teach you my son!" Isshin said, not able to look Ichigo in the eyes because of said carrot top's hand gripping his face over his eyes.

Ichigo paused, "Huh? Wait a minute! What about Karin and Yuzu's injuries from last night?" He asked.

He was to confused to notice the spark of recognition in Isshin's eyes or the slight widening of said eyes when they caught sight of Ichigo's now blue-green ones. "Injuries? What are you talking about?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

"…What?" Ichigo muttered letting Isshin lead him downstairs to the whole in the side of the building.

"It's a miracle! A truck plows right into our house and none of us get a single scratch!" Isshin stated, standing behind him with Yuzu and Karin.

Ichigo couldn't help staring in shock as Karin said, "What's even more miraculous is the fact that none of us even woke up when it happened." Her voice was drowned out by Ichigo's thoughts.

'_I don't get it… their wounds are completely gone. And they think that a _truck _did all this? Could this have been the work of that Soul Reaper, Rukia?_'

Karin and Yuzu started to walk past him when Yuzu noticed Ichigo's still shocked state, "Ichigo, you better hurry up and eat breakfast or you're going to be late!"

He blinked as she successfully pulled him from his thoughts, "Yeah…" He started towards the door when his thoughts drifted back to Rukia. A memory fragment flashed through his mind, but disappeared quickly as two flashes of the night before took its place, '_I wonder if she went back to that place she was talking about… the Soul Society._' He shrugged off the second strange sensation and went inside.

Isshin remained outside and watched his eldest child close the door. '_Could it be? I realize he gained Soul Reaper powers last night, but even in his case his eyes should have remained the same color. I've always shrugged off his resemblance to Kaien, but could he really be…_' He sighed and went inside himself, shutting the door on his last thought, '_I'll get Kisuke to watch out for him._'

At school, rumors had spread about the truck and Ichigo's house. But by lunchtime everything had settled down a bit. Currently two of Ichigo's friends walked through the hall side-by-side. They were Tatsuki and Orihime.

Tatsuki looked at Orihime as they walked, "Did you bring lunch today?"

Orihime smiled and nodded, "Mm hmm, leftover taiyaki-style rame with wasabi and honey." She stated happily.

As Tatsuki imagined such a dish she grimaced. Orihime didn't notice and asked, "Would you like some?"

Tatsuki forced a face that looked somewhere between a smile and a grimace as the rounded a corner. Orihime frowned slightly, "But its really goo-" She was cut off by running into Ichigo, who had just arrived at school.

She collapsed onto the ground. Ichigo raised an eyebrow, "Oh sorry Orihime. My mind was on something else." He stated as Orihime looked up at him.

A blush spread across her face, "I-I'm sorry Ichigo." She stuttered. Tatsuki jumped in front of her downed friend and glared at the taller teen.

"You bumped into her and that's all you have to say?" She said, not noticing the fact that he _had _apologized. She didn't notice mostly because he usually doesn't

Ichigo blinked, "I already apologized Tatsuki. Didn't you hear me? But anyway, are you going to be alright Orihime?" He asked, looking down at the still sitting girl, "Do you need any help?" He reached down a hand.

Orihime gasped as she looked up at him, "Oh, it's alright!" She stated flushing, '_I didn't know Ichigo-kun's eyes were blue._' She thought backing away and waving her hands in front of her, "I-I ha-have voby… bolley… volleyball, yeah that's right volleyball! Volleyball!" She turned and skipped away quickly, face burning up.

"Hey, Orihime!" Tatsuki called after her. When the red-head didn't stop Ichigo frowned.

"What's the matter with her?" He asked, a confused look on his face.

"What could it be I wonder?" Tatsuki asked sarcastically, "Maybe it was your ugly mug. By the way, why are you so late? It's already lunchtime." She stated turning towards him. She blinked in shock at the sight of his _blue_ eyes.

Said eyes rolled, "Eh, don't worry about it, I'll tell you later." He said, walking away and leaving Tatsuki with a few questions, mostly about his new eye color. '_I've been his friend for years, and grant it I've seen his eyes flash that color before, but that's not just flashing. It's almost like his eyes are stuck on the color… Ichigo what happened?_' She thought, remembering a few of those times.

Lunchtime was peaceful until Ichigo heard Keigo, a tall brunette and one of his friends, start.

"Hey Ichigo, I heard a truck crashed into your house last night dude." Ichigo sighed and leaned back in his seat.

"Pretty much." His friends had noticed his eyes but said nothing, knowing that Ichigo liked his privacy.

"So did you clean it all up yet?" Mizurio, a shorter black haired boy, who was also one of Ichigo's friends asked.

Ichigo raised an eyebrow at him, "Are you kidding? Its going to take forever." He said, rolling his eyes at the question.

"Need any help?" That would be Chad, a giant Mexican descent teen, who indecently was also a friend of Ichigo.

Ichigo looked over and then up at the very tall boy, then he looked away with a strained smiled, "That's ok Chad, but thanks for the offer."

Keigo laughed, "Yeah, Chad you could end up bringing down the whole house." Chad blinked at him and made a grunt of acknowledgement.

Ichigo blinked as he felt something familiar behind him, and coming closer. He strained his hearing and caught footsteps. '_Is that Rukia?_' He wondered before looking at the others and asking, "So what do we have next?"

"Language lab!" Keigo answered, before quieting as a female voice came from behind Ichigo.

"Hello, you're Kurosaki Ichigo aren't you?" The voice asked. Ichigo deadpanned before turning around. He spotted Rukia and frowned, "I'll be sitting next to you from now on, my name is Rukia."

'_No warning, just decides to come up to me as I'm talking to my friends. Is she trying to get a rise out of me?_' He wondered, then he smirked, '_Not going to take the bait Kuchiki. You know me better than that._' He paused for a second at the last thought. He'd only met her last night… right?

He shook it off and smiled (coughsmirkedcough) at her, "Is that right? Kuchiki Rukia right? The office asked me to show you around. Lucky you I guess." He stated, not taking his eyes off the shorter girl.

Rukia blinked when Ichigo didn't take the bait and instead sent it back at her. Then she noticed the slight smirk on his face and the light dancing in his eyes. A pain filled her heart at the familiarity of it. "Thank you."

Mizurio took the chance to explain it to Keigo, "Rukia's a brand new transfer student." He had a small smile on his face

Keigo stared at the orange haired teen in shock, "You already know the hot new transfer student! And you're the one they chose to show her around?! That's not fair!" He whined, but then his attention snapped back to the raven-haired girl, "Nice to meet you! I'm Keigo!"

Rukia chuckled and held out her hand to Ichigo, "Thank you for your kindness Ichigo." On her hand was a message: _Make a scene and I'll kill you._

Inside his mind he chuckled, inconspicuously writing a message on his own hand, "It's my pleasure."

Rukia looked at his hand in shock, she hadn't even seen him write it. The message read: _You're going to have to try harder than that, Kuchiki._ She blinked at the way he addressed her. It reminded her of the way Kaien had first done so. She smiled at him and he smirked down at her.

Later they each cornered the other, "Alright? What the hell are you still doing here? And why are you at my school?" He asked, and hand on his head.

"My, how scary! What's the matter? You're not going to hurt me, are you?" She asked in the same sickly sweet voice as before.

A vein pulsed in Ichigo's head, "First of all, you can knock off the goody-two-shoes, sickly sweet voice/act, alright." He said, trying to calm himself down.

"Well I think it is pretty good, considering I learned it overnight." She stated with out the voice.

Ichigo sighed, "Whatever, what _are _you still doing here anyways? Shouldn't you be back in the Soul Society?" He asked, hands on his hips and staring down at her.

"I can't. Only Soul Reapers can go back there. At the moment, I haven't the power to return." She admitted, looking at the ground.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Last night I lost almost all of my powers as a Soul Reaper. I'm afraid they were all absorbed into you K-Ichigo." She cursed herself mentally for the slip up.

"I wouldn't know anything about that." Ichigo said, but somewhere in his mind he knew something about their position had horrible consequences.

"Thanks to you, for the time being, I'm stuck in this ridiculous gigai form." She said, looking away.

"What do you mean gigai?" As he asked a voice strayed into his mind, the same from the day before, _Ok short stuff, gigais are temporary bodies that serve as a vessel, that we in the Serietei use for emergencies. If we are weakened during a fight with a powerful Hollow, we reside inside a gigai until our powers return. Any questions?_, He shook the thought away even as Rukia stated the same thing. "Now I get it, so that's why the others were able to see you before… right?"

The raven-haired girl smiled, "Precisely! And so… until all of my powers come back, it's up to you Ichigo to perform the duties of a Soul Reaper." She stuck out her hand as she continued, leaving Ichigo in a state of shock.

'_Wha… Me do the duties of a Soul Reaper? But last night was because of my family. Could I save random strangers at the expense of my own life?_' He wondered. A female voice drifted into his mind. **_It's others that make you stronger, the weak are single minded. There are those in the world that only help themselves and then there are those that give everything they have to others. The strong do not pause to wonder if they know a person, they fight to protect them anyway. Ask yourself, are you weak or are you strong? _**It felt like a memory, but he couldn't place where it came from. He shook his head and refocused his attention on Rukia.

"You do not have a right to refuse your calling!" She ended.

"So exactly how am I supposed to fight for complete strangers? I only fought yesterday because of my family." He said, still trying to figure out the voice in his head.

Rukia looked at him, she could see he was struggling with something, "I see. Guess there really is no other choice." She said, pulling on a glove (Yeah! It the awesome glove- I want one…). Said glove was red with a flaming skull on the back."Hey!" She called out, causing Ichigo to turn. She charged at him and drew her gloved hand back. Ichigo's eyes widened as he was literally torn from his body.

"What the hell just happened?" He asked, dazed as he looked at his prone body. "What did you do?" He looked at her.

She didn't answer but turned and simply stated, "Follow me." Before walking away. Ichigo groaned and stopped to move his body into a position that didn't look like he had passed out or had a heart attack.

As they walked passed a park he noticed a gathering of flowers and incense burning around a pole. "So are you going to tell me what we're doing here?" He asked, taking a second to pay his respects.

Rukia pulled a phone from her breast pocket, "We're getting close." She stated, flipping the phone open.

"Close to what?" He said, staring down at the back of her head.

"Our latest order from the Soul Society. It seems the spirit of a boy that dwells in this park is likely to come under attack soon." She said, before breaking off at the cry for help.

The spun and watched as the little boy ran away from the insect like Hollow in terror, "Help me!" He shouted in fear.

Ichigo jumped the railing a started to run at the Hollow when Rukia stopped him, "Wait, hold on. Just where are you going? That boys a complete stranger isn't he?""So what! I can't just stand by and let this happen! You expect me to watch him die?" He yelled at her.

"Don't be such a fool! In the eyes of a Soul Reaper all spirits of this world are equal. Getting involved simply because spirits are nearby when they need help isn't how it works." She stated as the spirit boy fell with a cry, Ichigo turned and Rukia ordered, "Leave him be. If you intend to help this child then commit yourself to saving every spirit! You must be willing to go to any lengths, and even sacrifice you life!" She watched as it sank in and smirked when Ichigo's fists clenched.

He reached over his shoulder and placed a hand unconsciously on the smaller Zanpakuto's hilt. Then his hand grasped the larger one's and removed it from its sheath just in time to slice the leg of the Hollow. Quicker than normal he appeared behind the bug-like Hollow and brought the blade down on another of the Hollow's legs. It flew backwards and disappeared.

Rukia gasped slightly at the look on Ichigo's face. It wasn't set in a scowl like normal but a small frown, "Have you made you decision, Ichigo?" She asked.

Ichigo straightened himself fully and clenched the hilt. "I don't remember who said it but she said 'The strong do not pause to wonder if they know a person, they fight to protect them anyway.' She also told me to ask myself if I was strong, or if I was weak. I guess I don't really care if I have to save complete strangers. But by saving them, I become strong enough to protect everyone else." He said, and with every word Rukia's eyes widened.

'_If I didn't believe before, this has convinced me. Ichigo **is **Kaien's reincarnation! And he is remembering! Kaien told me that his sword, Nejibana had told him that before she told him her name._' She thought, shocked, then she grew slightly scared, '_What if he remembers everything and blames me?_'

"Though I have to know, what about you?" She looked up at him, "I seem to remember you putting you life on the line to save me last night. Tell me, were you really thinking about your duties as Soul Reaper then? Of course not! That's the last thing on your mind when you save someone!" He said, voice hard.

Rukia's eyes widened as the Hollow reappeared behind him. "At the very least, I choose to be strong!" Rukia watched in amazement as Ichigo clenched a slightly glowing fist and punched through the Hollow's mask.

'_He controlled his spiritual pressure! But last night he could barely reign it in! How did he advance so quickly? Is it because he's receiving Kaien's memories?_' She wondered as the Hollow disappeared and Ichigo shook his hand, '_Could he learn Kido at this point? Maybe I'll start him off with the first of both. If he truly is retaining some of Kaien's skills, he'll pick them up quicker than most._' She then watched as Ichigo walked over to the boy.

"You okay?" He asked, looking down at the boy. Said spirit looked up at him and cried out in shock. Ichigo kneeled next to him and stuck a hand on the boy's quivering head, "Kid, if you don't want to go through that again you better hurry up and pass on already." The boy watched as Ichigo spun his sword and tapped him on the forehead with the end of the hilt.

An imprint showed and started to glow bright blue. Rukia leaned back in shock as her mouth opened in slight awe. They both watched as the spirit sank through a portal with a peaceful look on his face. As the portal vanished, a black Hell Butterfly flew out and around Ichigo before racing up into the sky.

Rukia smiled and walked up beside Ichigo before schooling her face, "You did that quite beautifully."

Ichigo wore a blank look on his face and he unconsciously stood up. '_That… felt familiar. I don't think I'm supposed to know how to do that right off the bat. And that punch earlier. I channeled my energy into my fist and I was able to purify the Hollow. I… What's happening? There are those sudden flashbacks that I don't remember happening anywhere in my life. Those feelings, like instincts that were ingrained into my soul, but I don't remember. I swear I'm going to figure this out…_' He thought before sheathing his blade and walking away with a, "I'm gone."

Rukia watched him leave with a smile on her face. '_He even walks the same way Kaien did when he was in a mood._' She thought.

That night Ichigo tossed and turned from a horrible dream. But when he woke up the next morning he couldn't remember any of it. When he woke he was covered in a cold sweat and slightly panting. He moved to lay back down but noticed his entire bed was covered in water, and it was slowly dripping onto the floor.

Frowning he cleaned up and paused as he felt a spirit disappear from the Living World. He couldn't bring himself to remember what was familiar about the spirit, and went back to sleep after fixing his bed.

**The next day**

"Hear my voice oh lord. Help your humble child understand why she was born. And if your divine will wishes it, summon her back to your side. I await your-" She was interrupted by Ichigo gently slapping a hand over her mouth.

"Do me a favor, Kuchiki, and shut up." He said. She glared up at him and pulled away from his hand.

"What is your problem? I am studying cotemporary language." She stated, causing Ichigo to roll jis eyes.

"You're off by a couple of centuries. Tell me, how long to you plan on following me around?" '_Not that I mind much, just the fact that she reminds me of someone…_' He ended the sentence with a thought.

"How else are you going to get out of your body?" She said seriously, and Ichigo blinked.

"I hadn't thought of that." He muttered, turning away from the black-haired girl. They both paused when the heard the squeal of some tires.

Turning to look Ichigo spotted a familiar red-head collapsed on the side road. "Hey! Orihime!" He called out as she got to her knees. He was slightly worried that she was hurt, mostly because if Tatsuki found out that he didn't help her, she'd kill him.

"Huh? Ichigo!" She stuttered, going slightly red.

"Did you just get hit by that car?" He asked, tone straying into the protective field. Ever since her brother had died, he and Tatsuki had been there for her like older siblings. Orihime was like a third sister to him and one of the people he needed to grow stronger to protect.

She looked around dazed, "Um, maybe?"

Ichigo's eyebrow twitched and he hid a slight grin, trust Orihime to not see the severity of the situation, "What do you mean maybe? Are you going to be ok?"

She stood and smiled and him, "Mm hmm! It was just a little bump on my head! Don't worry I'm fine I swear!" She said, looking at him with a thumbs up.

"Are you _sure _you're ok? Where'd that car go that hit you?" He asked, looking down at her.

Orihime paused and looked around before pointing and smiling, "It drove away." She said, with a happy smile.

Ichigo almost face palmed, "Orihime!" Her face grew sad as she apologized and Ichigo twitched and scratched the side of his face, "Well, alright. I guess as long as you're ok." He said, looking away.

Orihime noticed Rukia then, "Oh, is that Rukia?"

"That's right and just who are you?" She asked, a little jealous of how familiar Ichigo was with the red-head.

"Rukia… that's Orihime. She's in the same class as you. There's no need to be rude." Rukia almost winced at the tone of his voice. It reminded her of when Kaien reprimanded her.

"Oh, of course, Orihime, how are you?" She asked, dropping into a curtsy.

The imaginative ginger blinked at the change of tone and smiled, "Oh, I'm great, thank you." She said, the dazed smiled back on her face.

"It appears that you have been shopping." As she said this she looked over at Ichigo, who was watching the two of them interact with a strange look.

Orihime's eyes widened, "Oh, that's right. My dinner!" She picked the bag up off the street and grinned at the two of them, a leek in her hand, "My leeks, butter, bananas and bean jam seem to have made it too!" She said, giggling.

Ichigo forced down a grimace, '_I got to wonder what she's going to make with that…_' He thought, looking her over to make sure she was alright again. His eyes caught on a bruise wrapped around her leg. His eyes narrowed and on instinct he reached out his energy and felt the malicious spiritual energy.

Rukia also had spotted it, because a second latter she asked, "How did you get that bruise on your leg?"

Orihime stopped and looked down confused, "What bruise? Oh, I guess that happened just now when the car hit me?"

"It must hurt…" Rukia looked at Ichigo as he said that and then made eye contact. She noticed the question in his eyes and nodded.

"A little bit, but I'm ok." Orihime stated, the smile not faltering, even when Ichigo looked over her with a calculating gaze.

He sighed, "If you're sure." He watched as Rukia examined the bruise.

"Um, what's the matter Rukia?" Orihime asked, looking down at the kneeling girl. "Is something wrong."

Rukia sweat dropped, "Oh, right… well, you take care!" She stumbled as she rose and backed up.

"Right, thanks." Orihime said, confusion written on her face.

Acting quickly and letting his big brother mode slip on Ichigo looked at the ginger, "So do you want me to walk you home?" He asked, still a bit worried, mostly because of the bruise.

She waved it away, "No I'm fine., really! See ya!" She turned and walked away happily.

Ichigo and Rukia watched as she disappeared from view, "She needs to be careful. Especially now if a Hollow is after her." Ichigo muttered, pulling Rukia from her thought.

"So you sensed it as well?" She asked and received a nod from Ichigo. They both turned and started walking away.

Rukia was quiet for the rest of the time, until they started walking by the river, then she spoke up, "So that girl…" She started, looking over at Ichigo.

"You mean Orihime?" Ichigo asked looking over at her and receiving a nod.

"Are you close to her?" She asked.

"Kind of. Me and another one of my friends, Tatsuki, treat her like a younger sister. I usually don't see her much though, unless she's with Tatsuki or at school. Although, around three years back or so, her older brother Sora was in a terrible accident and died at our clinic." He said, and Rukia was a little relieved to hear they weren't together. But the ending statement caught her attention.

"What?" She asked.

"He was in a car wreck. And he was the only family she had left. Until Tatsuki told me a few weeks later. I hadn't realized she was the girl I saw crying that day. And recently, Tatsuki and I have upped our game at being her new family." He stated, thinking back to the day.

"How in tune to the spirit realm were you?" Rukia asked.

"Hmm? Not as much as I am now. I had suppressed it for a while, I suppose though." He muttered the last part. "I mean, its really only been for the last year that Iv'e been able to communicate with the spirit realm." He admitted.

Rukia looked at him in confusion. '_Suppressed? Why?_' Then her eyes narrowed, '_Other than that, just as I thought._'

"Why?" Ichigo asked and stopped as Rukia walked past him.

"Nothing. Later." She said as she continued to walk.

"Hey, where are you going?" Ichigo asked and Rukia stopped.

"Back home." She stated simply.

"Where's that?" He asked as the train passed behind him.

"Do you really want to know?" She asked, looking sideways at him.

He put his hands on his hips, "I guess not."

"Then don't ask me." She said, smiling as she walked away.

Ichigo scowled after her, before sighing. "Yeah, whatever."

Later that night on the other side of town a doorbell rand. "Coming!" Orihime called as she jogged to the door, opening it to see Tatsuki.

"My mom thought that I should bring this over. It's stewed beef and potatoes." Tatsuki stated and Orihime grinned at her.

"Wow! Great! Homemade beef and potatoes." She dished it out and started to eat, "Oh boy, this is delicious." She said, smile still on her face as she ate.

Tatsuki sighed, "I swear, if I don't bring meals over for you to eat you always end up cooking the weirdest stuff." She said, smirking at her friend's happy face.

Orihime paused, "I never thought about it… You really think so?" She asked, taking another bite.

"Yeah, I mean what is this stuff." Tatsuki asked as Orihime just giggled and continued eating.

Back at the Karakura Clinic Ichigo was sitting on his bed reading when he was interrupted by Yuzu opening the door.

"Hey Ichigo? You haven't seen my pajamas have you?" She asked, looking slightly worried.

"Yuzu a least knock before you open the door and barge into my room." Ichigo said, looking up from his book.

"Well sorry I asked, you've been so mean since you started high school." He huffed.

"Have not." Ichigo deadpanned with a blank face, "And I don't know where your pajamas are." He added to answer her initial question.

"That is just so odd. One of my dresses has gone missing to." She stated, looking confused.

"Why do you feel the need to ask me about every little thing? Do I look like I care?" '_I do but really?_' He asked, sighing as Yuzu shut the door with a sharp 'Good night.'

Ichigo blinked as a beeping sound started coming from his closet. '_Beeping? Why would my closet be beeping? On second thought, that's Rukia's spiritual pressure. Why is she in my closet._' He thought with a sweat drop as he watched her pull open the door.

"Hey Ichigo!" She called, noticing the fact that he was already looking at the closet and was unsurprised by her being in it.

"Hey. Mind explaining why you're in my closet and wearing Yuzu's pajamas?" He asked, blank look back on his face.

"I'll explain later, we've got orders." She said, slipping the glove on.

"Orders? So that beeping sound was-" He started.

She nodded, "We're not alone."

"So you're saying-" He was cut of by her jerking him out of his body. They flew off the bed and watched as a red and clawed hand grasped at where the had been.

The hand fell to his bed and the entire Hollow climbed through the black hole. The Hollow looked up and howled, coming half way out.

"Why are you just standing there? Do something!" Rukia ordered. Somewhere in Ichigo's mind he wondered why he was taking orders from Rukia.

The Hollow pressed down on Ichigo's bed, collapsing it. It lunged out of the portal at them and both split to dodge it.

Rukia landed on the right, "You have to aim for its head!" She called, wondering if Ichigo had already known it.

"Right." Instinctively he grabbed the larger Zanpakuto's hilt and drew it quickly. Halfway through the draw he cursed, '_This swords to long to fight with in here! How the hell did I not notice it before?_' Unfortunately he had already drawn it and carved through the ceiling and towards the Hollow's head.

The sword took to long to come away from the ceiling and gave the Hollow enough time to dodge out of the way. Its tail came sailing towards Ichigo.

"Ichigo!" Rukia called out as Ichigo dodged with a move that had Rukia's eyes widen, '_That was Shunpo!_' She thought.

The Hollow made to grab Ichigo, but again Ichigo used Shunpo to dodge and sliced a deep cut in the attacking arm. The Hollow reared back and howled.

"You need to focus! Don't just swing randomly! Your sword is to long for that!" Rukia said, moving behind him.

"You think I don't know that! And why are you ordering me around, Kuchiki!" Ichigo said, charging again and not noticing the stunned, lost for words face.

The Hollow charged at him as well but Ichigo dodged , managing to slice its hand again. "You're mine!" He yelled, appearing before the Hollow's head and striking out. It hit.

"Too shallow!" Rukia said, then her eyes widened as the Hollow grabbed Ichigo's blade. Ichigo struggled and grunted as he fought to bring down the blade. He unconsciously sent his spiritual energy down the blade, causing a spider web of cracks to appear on the Hollow's mask.

The piece of mask shattered, showing a human face. Ichigo paused out of shock and the Hollow reared back howling in pain, its howls a mix of Hollow and human.

It was then that Ichigo remembered, '_A Hollow is a human spirit that has fallen into despair. By destroying the Hollows, you purify them and send them on. But how do I know that? And why did Rukia never tell me?_' He thought as the Hollow disappeared back into the void.

"It's getting away, let's go!" Rukia said, starting to run from the room. She paused when Ichigo just stood there, "Ichigo? What's the matter?"

Ichigo was still starring at the spot where the Hollow vanished, "Something's not right." He stated, eyes narrowed.

"What?" Rukia asked.

"I got a look of that thing's face…" He drew in a breath and turned towards Rukia, "And it was Orihime's dead brother." He recalled the presence that disappeared the night before and realized they were the same.

Rukia's eyes widened, "Are you certain?" She asked.

Ichigo nodded, "I already knew Hollows were fallen souls. But Sora wouldn't have fallen into despair like that." He stated, looking over at Rukia.

The raven-haired girl sighed, "Here's a word of advice. When attacking Hollows, come from behind and cleave their heads with one blow. Don't forget its basic theory for any Soul Reaper." She stated.

Ichigo's eyes widened and he put a hand to his head, trying to force down the wave of images and voices trying to push their way in.

_Ok short stuff, listen up. When you attack a Hollow, try to get it from behind. That way they don't see you coming and you don't accidentally get shocked if their mask chips. Plus it makes it harder for them to attack you_

_You know, for your first time on the job, that was pretty good! Keep up the good work recruit. Maybe you'll even be able to replace me someday!_

_Hey, Kuchiki, what did I tell you about attacking from behind? You idiot. You attacked from the front. But… luckily it worked_

Rukia's eyes widened as Ichigo's hand clenched down on his head. She watched as he shook away whatever was bothering him. He was slightly panting when he looked over at her, "Why? What do you mean?" She could tell that he already had the answer, but answered anyway.

"It will keep your injuries to a minimum. Also, with any luck, it will keep you from learning the Hollow's identity." She said, looking down.

Ichigo nodded, a little shocked that he had already known before hand, "The identity of a Hollow. Because you never know if the Hollow you're fighting is someone you know, someone whose spirit fell." He muttered.

Rukia nodded, "You are correct. The Hollows were just souls of human beings, no different than anyone else. You just saw for yourself."

Ichigo looked at her with narrowed eyes, "And you never thought to mention that little tidbit?" He asked.

Rukia glared back at him, "That's because you didn't need to know. Hollows are just beast from the underworld. If Soul Reapers don't purify them, they continue to devour human souls and even the souls of other Hollows." She explained angrily, "But at the moment we don't have time to talk about it! If we don't hurry, that girl will die!"

Ichigo's eyes widened, "What? What do you mean she's going to die?"

"Are you an idiot!?" Tatsuki shouted, starring at her friend in shock.

"How rude. I'm not an idiot." Orihime huffed, crossing her arms and looking away.

"Yes you are. You wasted a chance like that." She said, shaking her head. She knew that the two would probably never get together, but if Orihime had taken the offer she might have realized that Ichigo only thought of her like a sister.

"Do you really think so?" Orihime asked, as she placed her hands in her lap.

Tatsuki grinned, "Absolutely! Sometimes you just have to go for it!" In her mind she groaned, '_When will she figure it out? Though Ichigo seemed pretty chummy with the new girl. Maybe… naw._' She shook her head and looked at her friend.

"Go for it?" The red haired girl asked. Then blushed as Tatsuki made up some random scene. "T-Tatsuki…"

"But for him to be so friendly with the new student… I didn't know he was that good." Tatsuki stated, voicing her thoughts.

"Oh yeah! She was there with him! She's really nice. They seemed to be walking together." Orihime exclaimed, a small smile working its way onto her face.

"Really?" Tatsuki questioned. Orihime nodded and Tatsuki continued with a deadpan look, "Have you ever been to the park with Ichigo alone?"

Orihime blushed as she thought about it, a strange daydream appearing in her head, and suddenly she shouted, "Oh no! Run away, run away me! No, champ!"

Tatsuki jerked away in shock, '_What the hell? Wasn't she daydreaming about a date in the park?_'

They both grew quiet as a noise caught their attention. 'What was that sound?" Tatsuki asked as they watched one of the stuffed animals in Orihime's house fell to the ground.

Orihime gasped and stood, "Oh no! Enraku fell down! Are you ok Enraku!?" She asked, picking the stuffed bear up.

"It was just a stuffed animal that scared me… Huh? What's and Enraku?" Tatsuki asked as her heart slowed down from its fast pace.

Orihime looked at the bear's face and exclaimed in shock when she spotted the tear, "Aww! It's horrible! Why is he ripped?" Tatsuki came up behind her and peered down at it.

"Yikes, maybe the fabric just wore out?" She reasoned. Orihime teared up and put her hand behind the bear's head.

"No way…" She started to explain, but her attention caught on the wet feeling coming from the back of the bear. She looked down and saw a red stain growing on her hand, "What… It looks… like blood?" She whispered, not seeing the claw like hand plunge through her chest.

Tatsuki watched in shock as Orihime's body fell backwards, a blank look in her eyes. "Orihime! What's wrong?" When the prone girl didn't answer Tatsuki gazed around the room, "What is…"

"So you're saying that Hollows attack their own families?" Ichigo asked as he jumped from roof to roof.

"Yes!" Rukia called back, holding tight to his back as she flipped open her phone.

"Why is that? Don't Hollows only eat when they're hungry? Aren't they indiscriminant?" He shouted, landing before shooting up again.

Rukia looked down at her phone with a frown, "The Hollows that attack and eat other souls indiscriminately are the ones that have already eaten their families and loved ones." Ichigo peered back at her and she cut off his question, "And one more thing, Hollows don't eat souls because they are hungry. You already know that Hollows are fallen souls that weren't brought to the Soul Society. Their soul degenerated and lost its heart, thus becoming a Hollow. And a spirit that becomes a Hollow to fill its empty heart, seeks out those they loved most in their past life."

Ichigo nodded, "It's like those stories you hear on the news about a woman's husband dying and then she follows a couple of years later. The husband's soul became a Hollow and devoured her own soul… right?" He asked, getting a nod from Rukia. He continued as a serious look came onto his face, "So since Sora is now a Hollow, and Orihime is his only family. She's sure to be attacked, and probably soon. That mark on her leg… was it…?" He trailed of and continued jumping.

"Yes it was. That bruise was the mark of a Hollow. That's why I asked if she had an family. And if you're sure that this Sora is her only family, then she will no doubt be attacked." Rukia said, putting her phone away and gripping tighter as Ichigo sped up.

Tatsuki's back hit the wall as blood spurted out of her shoulder, "Wha…? What is this? Why is blood…? What is going…" She was cut off as something slammed her onto the ground. She grasped her shoulder in pain.

She didn't notice the monster leaning over her, or Orihime cowering in the corner.

'_What? What is going on? What is that big ghost thing?_' Her eyes strayed over to where a replica of her was lying face down, '_My body… is over there… What happened to me?_' Tears poured down her face as she shook in fear. She gasped, not getting enough air and looked at the chain on her chest, '_It's hard to breathe. Did I die? My head is spinning… What is this chain? It really hurts._' She thought, tugging on the chain. '_Why won't it break?_'

She was drawn out of her thoughts when Tatsuki made a choking sound, the monster's hand holding her throat. "T-Tatsuki?" She whispered, '_Why am I just sitting here?_' She questioned herself, watching in fear and shock as Tatsuki continued to gasp. Steeling her face she stood and started to rush at the monster, '_I have to help her!_' She exclaimed mentally as she plowed into the hard arm.

She managed to force the monster off her friend, "Are you alright Tatsuki!? Run away please!" She shouted, then she noticed Tatsuki not even moving, as though she didn't hear her, "What's wrong? Can you hear me?" She called, getting desperate.

"**It won't work, Orihime.**" She whipped around, shocked into silence as the monster spoke, "**She can neither hear, nor see either of us.**"

"Why… do you know my name?" Orihime asked, her eyes wide in shock.

"**You even forgot my voice? HOW SAD, ORIHIME!**" The monster lunged at her and she winced away, closing her eyes.

But nothing happened. Her eyes opened slowly and then widened in shock at the figure before her. Dressed in a black shihakusho and standing before her, sword blocking the monster's hand… was Ichigo.

"…Ichigo…?" She breathed in shock.

Ichigo looked back at her quickly as the Hollow removed its hand, a small cut dripping blood, "**You interfere?**" The Hollow growled.

Ichigo chuckled, "Yeah, well you see, that's my job." He brought the sowrd back beside him and moved in front of Orihime, "If you want to kill Orihime… You'd better kill me first!" He shouted, pointing the large zanpakuto at him.

* * *

**End note: So Tatsuki notices the eye color change, as do his friends! I changed a bit of it around, but meh, he's the reincarnation of Kaien, who was smart! Memories are coming back faster than before! And I created a thingamajig saying for Nejibana! Kinda like the old man's saying! Also! Did anyone read the latest chapter of BLEACH? I'm kinda sad that Zangetsu was lying... In my heart he's still awesome and gonna stay that way! So when I get to it, there will be no Quincy War Arc. If I get to it... Well enoguh babble! Review please! Thank you!**


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